RUTH STAYS TO DINNER
"SEE, Ruth, it's snowing harder--a perfect blizzard. That means that
you'll have to stay to dinner."
"I'm only too glad to find an excuse, Bettina, but you must remember
that I'll have to get back some time, and I suppose that now is best."
"Well, Bob will take you after dinner. See, I've put on a place for
you."
"That's fine, Bettina, and I suppose I may as well stay. I've been
anxious to ask you what you were putting in the oven just as I came in."
"A dish of tomatoes, cheese and rice baked together; Bob is fond of it.
You know I almost always plan to have two or more oven dishes if I am
using the oven at all, and tonight I was making baked veal steak."
"I learned something new yesterday, Bettina, that I have been anxious to
tell you. Mother was preparing cabbage for cold slaw (she always chops
it, you know), and it suddenly occurred to her that she might easily use
the large meat grinder. So she did, and the slaw was delicious. I would
have supposed that the juice would be pressed out in the grinding, but
it wasn't."
"I must remember that. I suppose that other people may have thought of
it, but I never have, and I'm glad to know that it works so well."
"I believe I hear Bob, Bettina. He must be cold, for it is snowing and
blowing harder every minute."
"Well, I'm glad I started the fire in the fireplace. There's nothing
like an open fire."
For dinner that night Bettina served:
Baked Veal Steak
Baked Tomato, Cheese and Rice
Bread Butter
Tapioca and Date Pudding Cream
Coffee
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
=Baked Veal Steak= (Three portions)
1 slice of veal steak (three-fourths of a pound, one-half inch thick)
3 T-flour
1 t-salt
1/4 t-paprika
2 T-bacon fat
2 T-water
Wipe the veal and cut off any rind. Mix the flour, salt and paprika.
Roll the steak thoroughly in this mixture. Place the bacon fat in the
frying-pan and when hot add the meat and brown thoroughly on both sides.
Place the drippings and the meat in a small baking pan. Add the water,
cover, and place in the oven. Cook one hour. More water may be added if
necessary.
=Baked Tomato, Cheese and Rice= (Three portions)
1 C-cooked rice
1/3 C-tomatoes
4 T-cheese, cut fine
1 T-pimento
1 t-salt
1/4 t-paprika
1 T-flour
1/2 C-milk
1 T-melted butter
1/4 C-cracker or bread crumbs
Mix the rice and flour, and add the tomatoes, cheese, salt and paprika.
Add the milk. Pour into a well-buttered baking dish. Melt the butter and
add the crumbs. Spread the buttered crumbs on the rice mixture. Bake in
a moderate oven for twenty-five minutes.
=Tapioca and Date Pudding= (Three portions)
4 T-tapioca
1/4 t-salt
2 T-cold water
1 C-boiling water
2 T-sugar
8 dates, cut fine
1 T-lemon juice
1 egg-yolk
1 egg-white
1 t-vanilla
Soak the tapioca in cold water for ten minutes. Add the salt and boiling
water and cook in a double boiler until transparent. (About twenty
minutes.) Add the sugar and the dates cut fine, the lemon juice,
egg-yolk and vanilla. Remove from the fire and add the stiffly beaten
egg-white. Pile the mixture lightly in glass dishes and serve cold.